New Arctic Monkeys Album Title To Be Censored In America

Apparently, the title of the new Arctic Monkeys album is a little too controversial for some American distributors. The band’s new release, Suck It And See, will be sold stateside with a giant sticker slapped over the title, according to an interview done with London’s XFM. There was no word on which stores will take the initiative, but chances are good that big box retailers like Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy are the primary culprits.

In the interview, front man Alex Turner told XFM’s John Kennedy, “They think it is rude, disrespectful they’re putting a sticker over it in America in certain stores, big ones.”

While there has certainly been no shortage of albums that have had to undergo the glitter treatment in order to be sold at big box retailers, the fact that this move comes only a week before the record’s release is kind of a low blow. Of course, given the squeaky clean image that these stores put forth, it would be safe to assume that their morally righteous constituents would take offense to an album title that could be construed into something sexual.

In my opinion, the move is an overreaction on the retailer’s part, especially considering the fact that they sell movies that glorify endless amounts of violence and the gross mistreatment of women and minorities. If nothing else, this news serves as further proof why you should buy your albums at local record stores, who have considerably more freedom in terms of the content they can sell. It also demonstrates the irony of how these stores, who thrive off of cheap labor and an economic model that does more harm than good, can get their feelings hurt by the title of an album by a band that most of their customers have never heard of.

Suck It And See comes out next Tuesday, June 6. Expect a review early next week.